Second summit celebrates Surrey school inclusion progress

Cross-agency cooperation shone through at the second summit on reducing permanent school exclusions in Surrey, convened by the High Sheriff, facilitated by Jim Glover OBE DL, and generously hosted and sponsored by the Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL).

The second summit focused on the outstanding progress made across Surrey in implementing the recommendations since the first summit in July 2021, when they were initially discussed with the same audience.

Around 70 delegates attended, including representatives from local authorities, teachers, the voluntary sector and Surrey Police, who work with children at risk of being excluded from mainstream education.

Dr Llewelyn said: “It was great to feel the positive energy in the room as people met with each other face-to-face again and heard about the excellent progress made.”

Data points to success in decreasing exclusion

The second summit also coincided with publishing the full report of the RHUL research work on permanent school exclusion in Surrey. Authored by Dr Emily Glorney and Natasha Rhoden, it includes evidence-based recommendations for Surrey based on analysing extensive data on children who had been permanently excluded and extensive interviews with stakeholders.

Dr Glorney presented the full report findings and focused on the risk factors for permanent school exclusion in Surrey that the data proved have distinct differences from the national picture.

One of the first summit’s recommendations was enhancing the implementation of the Surrey Alternative Learning Programme (SALP) across the county quadrants to offer alternative styles of education better suited to children at risk of exclusion.

Ron Searle, chair of Trustees Inclusive Education Trust and SALP’s central board, spoke about its rollout. The data showed SALP’s effectiveness in some county regions, driving the decision to make equal provision across the whole of Surrey. The number of permanent school exclusions has already decreased.

He said: “We are not doing badly in Surrey now, in terms of exclusions, but let’s work together to make sure that no young person gets anywhere close to exclusion.”

Police focus on needs of the child first

The police are often associated with a child or young person being involved in the criminal justice system, but Surrey Police places more importance on preventing them from getting to that point.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens QPM said Surrey Police wants to avoid permanent exclusions by developing a Surrey risk index that identifies at-risk children early and supports them, rather than making permanent exclusion a ‘critical incident’.

He explained: “We are trying to mitigate some quite drastic risks through early intervention.”

After a short break, Anne Longfield CBE addressed the audience. She said: “I have seen a determination and commitment to build inclusive schools and communities. This is the next step in building the bold and ambitious plans that children need to thrive.”

Dr Llewelyn added: “It is a measure of the importance of the work done to date that Anne, who was children’s commissioner until 2021, attended the summit. She spoke about the importance of significantly preventing children ‘falling through the cracks’ as the pandemic has affected education. She also commented that this work was positive and will be helpful in other regions.”

Inspiration and support from the third sector

At the first summit, the audience was inspired by Maureen Mckenna, who has pioneered Glasgow City Council’s success in reducing exclusions through a child-centred, whole-school approach. This included a mentoring programme by charity MCR Pathways that has increased attendance and attainment at secondary schools so dramatically that it is now in place across Scotland and extended to Hertfordshire. A Surrey pilot will soon be set up. 

The afternoon closed with the Community Foundation for Surrey (CFS) announcing the launch of a new £1 million fund to help young people in Surrey who have mental health issues. These often go hand in hand with school non-attendance issues, and CFS has had a massive increase in the number of requests for funding in this area. It will fund large multi-year projects that are strategically targeted to maximise impact. 

Dr Llewelyn closed the meeting by celebrating the excellent progress and concluding that it was now necessary to fully develop the Surrey risk index of exclusion and integrate it into the support systems to increase the life chances of the children and young people in the county. 


You can download the agenda and full PowerPoint presentation below, as well as the video MCR Pathways played during their presentation.

Inspired Schools, Education and MCR Partnerships (YouTube video link)

Include Choir hits high note with award nomination

The Include Choir’s exceptional service has struck such a chord with the community that its supporters nominated it for a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) – the equivalent of an MBE for charities.

The High Sheriff is pictured with members of the Include Project, the charity behind the Include Choir, at an event which the Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey hosted at Loseley Park celebrating the QAVS nominations.

Dr Llewelyn learned that the charity brings together people from different professions and walks of life with and without difficulties communicating.

The Include Choir is a fun way of unlocking people’s potential through social inclusion. During the pandemic, the choir moved to Zoom, which proved a huge success, and they now do hybrid sessions.

Dr Llewelyn said: “The Include Project is a fabulous organisation that welcomes all-comers, with or without communication needs. It is a great candidate for QAVS and I wish them every success.”

HMP High Down team receives High Sheriff’s Award

An essential part of the High Sheriff’s role is to work with the prisons in their county, but the pandemic limited prison visits. So, Dr Llewelyn was delighted to take the opportunity to spend time at HMP High Down, the men’s prison in Sutton, together with Lynn Cooper, the High Sheriff of Greater London.

After discussing the plans for changing to a Category C institution in April 2022, Governor Amy Frost gave both women a prison tour.

During the two-hour visit, Dr Llewelyn and Mrs Cooper learned the difference between the routines in the house blocks. They enjoyed seeing classes in action in the education unit, where they spoke with an inmate in an English class.

They visited the impressive visitors centre and learned about the range of employment training opportunities that are starting to run again post-pandemic.

Dr Llewelyn said: “It was excellent to do a joint visit with the High Sheriff of London. We were both so impressed that we gave the whole team at High Down a High Sheriff’s Award for their dedication and hard work during the pandemic.”

A day in the life of the Woodhouse Centre

The High Sheriff joined the knitting and sewing group at the Woodhouse Centre in Oxted today.

Dr Llewelyn spent several hours at the centre, meeting the members who are retired and disabled people living in Oxted and the locality.

The centre runs various groups, including repairing cane furniture, upholstery, and art, in which the participants show extreme skill and enjoy the camaraderie. Their work is sold to benefit the charity and is a fantastic example of the therapeutic value of crafting.

Dr Llewelyn said: “The centre had a very happy atmosphere, fostered by the ever-positive and energetic manager, Dee, and her wonderful volunteers. I marvelled at the knitting and sewing group’s creations, including jumpers, blankets, beautifully made shopping bags and knitted toys such as ducks and rabbits.”

She was so impressed that she bought a beautiful patchwork blanket and some beanies as a memory of her enjoyable visit.

Men in Sheds visit is a ‘cut above’

Dr Llewelyn visited the well-equipped ex-garage at the Woodhouse Centre during her visit and was struck by the obvious friendships developed in Men in Sheds.

The centre was early to realise the potential of the national Men in Sheds movement in helping to combat loneliness and isolation in older people.

So, the garage is both a meeting place and a workspace where men and women can share skills, learn, and work on hobbies and projects.

Dr Llewelyn said: “They mend furniture and make a range of products to sell including their beautiful handmade bee and bug houses which are very popular. I had a go on the electric saw and discovered first-hand the challenges of producing wood that’s cut to very precise measurements for their work. It was a really uplifting visit. “

YES, young people can achieve!

The High Sheriff was delighted to attend a graduation ceremony for young people who had completed a five-day Youth Engagement Scheme (YES) training course.

Surrey Youth Support Service and Surrey Police deliver the acclaimed scheme in partnership. It encourages 11 to 16-year-olds with low self-esteem and confidence and at risk of school exclusion to re-engage in society and find a purpose.

The graduation ceremony took place at Leatherhead Fire Station in front of around 30 people, including the young people who had participated in the course, family members, staff from Fire and Rescue and Surrey County Council, and external supporters.

The compact YES programme includes rescue drills, which the youngsters demonstrated on graduation day before receiving their certificates from Mark Taylor, the senior officer at Surrey Fire and Rescue.

Having thanked the Fire and Rescue team, Dr Llewelyn told the graduates how impressed she was with their drills and congratulated them on completing a challenging course with such enthusiasm and learning so much in such a short time. 

Learning about Surrey Police youth engagement

Dr Llewelyn passionate goal to reduce the risk of children’s permanent school exclusion in Surrey prompted a return visit to Spelthorne Borough Council in Knowle Green.

In December 2021, the High Sheriff was impressed by the young people who’d reached the finals of the Triumph over Adversity category in the Spelthorne Youth Awards.

This time, she met chief executive Daniel Mouawad who introduced her to Surrey Police youth engagement officer Caroline Barnes who is part of the Waverley team.

Caroline told Dr Llewelyn about police initiatives to build trust and confidence, give young people a voice, prevent harm, steer them away from the criminal justice system, and keep up to date with the youth community.

The Fordway Centre – A a short stay school and centre of excellence

Dr Llewelyn’s passionate goal to reduce the risk of children’s permanent school exclusion in Surrey prompted a return visit to the Fordway Centre in Staines.

The school has an outstanding rating and helps primary pupils struggling in mainstream education.

The staff work with each individual to work out their needs and then provide a range of support. They have excellent results, especially if they work with children before the difficulties in mainstream education become too severe.

Dr Llewelyn said: “I was impressed by all I saw at the Fordway Centre. They certainly go the extra mile to ensure every child receives the best possible education. They even have Gizmo, the fabulously well-behaved school dog!”

Christopher’s hospice makes an impression

The outstanding care provided to children with life-limited conditions and the quality of the facilities at Christopher’s hospice in Guildford left a lasting impression on Dr Llewelyn following her visit.

Christopher’s hospice is one of two purpose-built children’s hospices that the charity Shooting Star Children’s Hospices (SSCH) runs in Surrey. It supports and cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and provides various counselling, therapies and support groups for family members.

Refurbished in 2017, Christopher’s includes nine children’s bedrooms, five family flats, a sensory room, hydrotherapy pool, arts and crafts room, cinema room, sensory garden, den for teenagers and a soft play area.

SSCH CEO Paul Farthing hosted the High Sheriff’s tour, where she met the care team and some of the children and young people and learned about the services SSCH provides and its plans.

Dr Llewelyn said: “I was impressed to hear the hospice’s plans, which include increasing their level of community-based support for children and their families with life-limiting conditions.”

Find out more and get involved.

Guildford Police team take High Sheriff on patrol

An evening on patrol with Guildford Police gave Dr Llewelyn the chance to observe the role of a response officer in Surrey Police first-hand.

The High Sheriff toured the new cell block and met several of the night shift teams at the police station before she joined the response officer. She witnessed how the force manages suspected criminal activity daily.

Dr Llewelyn learned about many of the challenges that the pandemic has caused for Surrey Police, including the unfortunate increase in domestic violence in the county.